Experts estimate there are currently about 200 million electric bikes on the roads today and that number is expected to grow significantly in the next five years. Many people choose to ride Pedego electric bikes because they’re fun looking and they’re fun to ride, whether you’re commuting to work or going out for a casual pedal in the countryside. Pedego electric bikes are also excellent for those of us who want to lose some weight. It’s true! Unlike thigh-masters and bow-flexes, Pedego bikes are proven to help their riders lose weight. For example, before she purchased her first Pedego, Rhonda Martin of Southern California weighed 457 pounds. Today, she’s down to 180 pounds and she’s completely changed her life. You can watch her testimonial video here.
And Rhonda is just one example of many. Why is it that riding an electric bike can help you lose weight? Here are 5 reasons:

Electric Bikes help burn calories

Cycling can burn up to 500 calories per hour! But on a traditional bike, that can be hard work, especially if you have a few extra pounds at the outset. A Pedego electric bike is the best of both worlds because it still encourages you to pedal, just like a regular bicycle, so you’re still burning calories and fat. But the difference is when you need to take a break, the motor kicks in and helps you along. Now some might say that riding an electric bike is like sitting on a couch and that you’re hardly burning calories but that’s not true. In a recent study, it was proven that riding an electric bike that has the pedal assist mode engaged helped the rider burn 444 calories per hour versus pedaling a traditional bike, which burned 552 calories per hour. That’s only a 20 percent difference! So the bottom line is, you’ll burn calories when riding an electric bike.

Electric bikes work you out without extra pain

High-impact sports such as running are hard on your joints. But cycling is a low-impact exercise and with the help of the motors that are on Pedego electric bikes, the impact is even less! So you won’t feel pain after electric biking like you would participating in some other sports.

Electric bikes laugh at hills & headwinds

There are very few places on earth where you go for a bike ride and not encounter some form of a hill. Add to that a headwind and getting out for a fat-burning ride on your traditional bicycle can be daunting. However, electric bikes allow you to pedal up hills and against the wind with ease. Just turn up the pedal-assist mode or twist the throttle and you’ll be flying along without having to strain.

Electric bikes are fun so you want to use them

We all have good intentions about exercising for our health but the fact is a lot of exercise options out there are boring. That’s where riding a Pedego electric bike is different. It’s so fun to cruise along the street or trail and watch everyone’s surprised looks as you zoom past. When your concerns about hills and headwinds are taken out of the equation, there are no more excuses to not get on your bike. There’s a reason Pedego’s tagline is “Hello…fun.” It’s because the second you get on one of our electric bikes, you can’t stop smiling.

It’s hard to eat while riding an electric bike

Ok, we say this partly in jest but the fact is electric bikes are so fun you’ll want to spend more time out riding one rather than on the couch watching Netflix.

Miryam Liberman is a 64-year-old doctor living near Los Angeles who credits her Pedego Interceptor for helping her overcome a number of physical challenges. In fact, she says her Pedego is one of her best forms of physical therapy.We read about Dr. Liberman’s amazing story in a recent Tech50+ article in which she is quoted as saying, “I bought it [her Pedego Interceptor] two years and three days ago. It was momentous because I’d been wanting to get an electric bike for almost 5 years.” Before then she says that anytime she’d ride a normal bike, “I just wouldn’t be able to because of my knee. It turns out that it was actually a common female problem with chondromalacia patella. It’s basically a loose kneecap that wanders off…”
Not only did Doctor Liberman find that a Pedego electric bicycle helped with her strengthening regime, she genuinely enjoyed riding so much, she started commuting the 17 kilometres to work. “It was always kind of my weird dream to commute to work by bike which is doable in this area but only if you’re quite athletic because we have a lot of hills and a lot of eight percent grades which is pretty steep. I was able to do that…”
She goes on to say, “I’ve been doing that commute now for a year and a half. It’s 23 miles roundtrip and it’s literally the best part of my day. There’s just no question. It’s wonderful. I use the Pedego to commute to work but I use it for every opportunity that I can ride, I use it to go to the movie theater, I use it to meet up with friends.”
Given her experience, and how important the throttle is for her convalescence, she has become a big advocate of throttles on electric bikes. “I tried riding my bike without a throttle for just one day, and my knees became incredibly painful because to initiate the bike movement, to get your momentum, you have to put some downward pressure and it takes about a second for the pedals to engage which is fine when you’re completely flat. But where we live, there are so many hills and of course, that’s exactly what the electric bike was made for. So anytime I would try to start the bike with any kind of incline, I would have to use more pressure and therefore my knee would start killing me.”
Not only has her Pedego Interceptor made her commute to work more enjoyable, she says she’s also noticed big changes regarding her fitness. “My shoulders are so much stronger, my core is stronger, then of course my legs. My energy. Appetite control. Weight control. Better sleep. How does any really good exercise change your life?…It’s awesome.”
To read the entire article about Dr. Liberman, log on to: Tech50+.

At Pedego Canada we’re always amazed by the inspirational stories we’re sent by people around the country who tell us their electric bike has vastly improved there health. It makes sense really. There are multitudes of surprising health benefits of electric biking.

In fact, a new University of Colorado study (see below to download) shows that using an electrically-powered bicycle on a regular basis provides an effective workout and improves aspects of cardiovascular health. That part isn’t totally surprising: the study took men and women with sedentary lifestyles and asked them to bike a minimum of 40 minutes three times a week. Of course their health is going to improve somewhat. What was surprising, though, is they all reported finding the riding to “be a blast,” said William Byrnes, the study’s senior author. “It’s exercise that is fun.” And several participants went out and bought electric bikes, including William who now uses it to bike to and from the campus.

And therein lies the magic of electric bikes. Unlike traditional bicycling, ebikes provide a pedal-assisted motor that lessens the initial power output required to get moving and get exercising. And they’re fun! In fact, Don DiCostanzo, the co-founder of Pedego, “Electric bikes are the gateway drug to exercise.”

For the many people who do not exercise, there is much to be said for knowing that an electric motor will help you pedal up that next hill and you’ll have fun doing it.

That said, there are some other surprising benefits of electric biking we’ve heard from Pedego users that we wanted to share:

Electric Bike Helps Torontonian With Hashimoto’s Disease

Last year we read a touching blog by Toronto resident Liis Windischmann who was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease and Gluten Ataxia. She said she felt like “a dog tethered to a very short leash” until the day she hopped on a friend’s Pedego electric bike. “I was in shock. And awe. And I burst out crying from happiness. In a few moments, I felt a multitude of possibilities open up,” she wrote. We contacted her to learn more and she says that Hashimoto’s is an auto-immune disease that leaves one feeling fatigued and tired. But with an electric bicycle, she was able to bike down to her favourite beach without excessive effort. To learn more about her story, read our blog called, “Electric Bike Transforms A Life.”

Electric Bike Helpful For Regina Resident With Lung Condition

Gerry Huget, a Pedego ebike rider in Regina, had special saddle bags made to hold his oxygen concentrator. He says he now has the “independence to go anywhere, anytime without relying on someone to get me there.” And as an added bonus, he’s getting exercise that helps his overall circulation system.

Electric Bike Helped Rhonda Martin Lose 280 Pounds

When Rhonda Martin bought her first Pedego electric bike in 2012, she weighed 457 pounds. “Riding an electric bike was my first form of exercise,” she says. “I could barely walk 150 steps at a time. My Pedego gave me exercise disguised as fun, and I began a journey to a new shape and a new life.” Since then Rhonda has lost 280 pounds and has gone from hardly being able to move to being an active, award-winning triathlete. She still exercises a lot on her Pedego and to hear her describe her own story, watch the video above.

Electric Bikes Helped A Man Suffering Knee Pain

Rob Peckham in London, Ontario, recently contacted us to say he purchased a Pedego electric bike because, “my knees are shot and the doctor says I need some relief and wow this is the bike to have. I now can get to work to and from with no pain.”

Electric Bikes Help Those Who Suffer From Parkinson’s Disease

One of the most surprising health benefits of electric bicycles is their impact on those living with Parkinson’s Disease. The New England Journal of Medicine has reported that bicycling may offer a useful approach for exercise training in patients with Parkinson’s who are “grounded” by severe freezing of gait. Rob Stonehouse is a 52-year-old with Parkinson’s who sent us the video below and then said, “I can assure you that this is real. The benefits are achieved in two ways: Exercise increases the blood flow to the brain, and more significantly, the repetitive circular motion of bike riding actually reprograms the brain (something no other exercise can do)…I have done extensive research on selecting the perfect bicycle for Parkinson’s patients, and after analyzing my criteria, I have decided that the Pedego Stretch is the best choice.” Those are some very powerful words and we thank everyone who has contacted us with amazing stories about the positive impacts electric bikes are having on their health.

Has an electric bike had a positive impact on your health. If so, we want to hear about it. Email us your story at info@pedegocanada.ca.